The United Nations announced today, Monday, the increase in food prices by 35 percent in some areas of Yemen with the decline in the value of the local currency, since the outbreak of the emerging Corona virus (COVID19-) epidemic in The country, last April 10.
A statement issued by the United Nations Office for Humanitarian Affairs in Yemen said, "The cost of the food basket has increased by up to 35 percent in some areas of Yemen as a minimum, since the outbreak of the Corona pandemic, with the exchange rate of the local currency dropping rial."
The statement stated: "All data indicate the continued rapid transmission of the emerging coronavirus around the country."
The statement added: "Often times, people who suffer from the symptoms of the epidemic are late to seek treatment until their condition is serious because the treatment centers are inaccessible, in addition to the fear of stigma, and the perceived risks of seeking care."
The statement warned that the recent fuel crisis is already threatening access to food, hospitals and water supplies that depend on petroleum products.
"The fuel is a necessary service to prevent transmission and response to the virus, and it is another obstacle for people seeking treatment," the statement said.
The UN office complained that the humanitarian response to tackling the Corona virus in Yemen "continues to suffer from significant funding shortages, which threatens to further spread the pandemic."
This comes at a time when prices in Yemen have risen as a result of the devaluation of the local currency by about 12 percent during the past five months, while the areas subject to the Houthi authority witness a severe fuel crisis three weeks ago, which led to high prices and sale on the black market at a double price.
As of Sunday, Yemen had recorded more than 1,100 cases of Corona epidemic, while the number of deaths exceeded 300.
